mustee



arch 3, 1964 B. E. MUSTEE 3 9 INCINERATOR ASH SHAKER Filed May 19, 1961 FIG-l I FIG-2 INVENTOR. BERNARD E. MUSTEE WW W ATTORNEY:

L I FIG-3 United States Patent 3,123,026 INCIYERATOR ASH SHAKER Bernard E. Mustee, Cleveland, Ohio, assignor to E. L. Mustee & Sons, Inc. Filed May 19, 1961, Ser. No. 111,234 6 Claims. (Cl. 110-18) This invention relates to incinerators and more particularly to a mechanism for shaking ashes in home-type incinerators.

Home-type incinerators have found great acceptance for use in disposing of combustible waste. They are simple and efficient. However, ashes are a result of the burning process and provision must be made for shaking down and removing these ashes.

It is therefore a principal object of this invention to provide an ash shaking assembly for incinerators which is operable by a handle accessible to an operator standing upright.

It is another object of this invention to provide an ash shaking mechanism for an incinerator having a permanently affixed handle in a convenient position for operation.

Yet another more particular object of this invention is to provide an ash shaking mechanism operable by a handle reciprocally movable along its axis.

Many prior proposals for ash shaking mechanisms are so constructed that access to the burner is dih'icult or impossible without removing a substantial portion of the assembly. Accordingly, it is another object of this invention to provide an ash shaking mechanism for an incinera tor which provides easy access to the burner.

Other objects and a fuller understanding of the invention may be had by referring to the following description and claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view of an incinerator incorporating the novel and improved ash shaking mechanism;

FIGURE 2 is a front elevational view of the novel and improved ash shaking mechanism and a fragmentary portion of the incinerator burner;

FIGURE 3 is a bottom plan View of the ash shaking mechanism taken along the plane designated by line 33 of FIGURE 2; and,

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along the plane designated by the lines 4-4 of FIGURE 3.

Referring now to the drawing, an incinerator is designated generally by the reference numeral 10. The incinerator includes a cabinet 11, a control enclosure 12, and a receptacle 13 suited to collect sifted ashes.

The novel and improved combination grate and ash shaking mechanism is designated generally by the reference character 2%) and is positioned in the incinerator 10 immediately above the receptacle 13. The combination forms the bottom of the burning compartment, and hence is mounted in a generally horizontal plane. As shown, the grate and ash shaking mechanism 20 of the invention includes a base plate 21 which has a generally U-shaped central opening 23 through which the ashes formed by the burning of the refuse may pass. In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, this central opening is defined by a peripheral rim portion 22 which has inwardly and downwardly extending wall portions 22a along the sides and at the front of the opening 23 and by a burner cover 24 which is integral with the rim portion.

The burner cover 24 extends between the wall portions 22a from the front end of the base plate and terminates short of the rear end of the base plate.

A pair of opposed burner support lugs 25 extend downwardly from the wall portions 220 on opposite sides of 3,123,026 Patented Mar. 3, 1964 the opening 23 near the rear end of the base plate 21. The head of a substantially T-shaped burner 26 is supported by the lugs 25 with the stem of the burner being disposed below the burner cover 24 where it will not smother under ashes. It will be understood that the burner 26 fires upwardly from its head and laterally from'its stem.

The base plate 21 also has four grate support lugs 27. Two of the support lugs 27 project generally downwardly from the base plate on one side of the opening 23 and the other two grate support lugs 27 project generally downwardly from the base plate on the opposite side of the opening. A grate 30 rests upon support lugs 27 and may be shifted longitudinally back and forth to effect a shaking action.

The grate 33 is generally U-shaped and includes a pair of arms 31 each of which extends along a side of the burner cover 24 in sliding contact with two of the grate support lugs 27. A plurality of fingers 33 project from each of the arms 31 toward the central burner cover 24. As thus arranged, the grate 39 can be shaken horizontally and longitudinally with respect to the base plate 21 on the grate support lugs 27 and such movement will cause the fingers and arms to shake down ashes through the opening 23 into the receptacle 13.

It is customary to provide a handle device extending horizontally from such a grate. To operate the grate it is necessary to stoop down. Often the position is inconveniently low, and the handle very hot. The present invention provides a novel solution to the problem.

A drive assembly for the grate includes a link 49 having a laterally extending central bar 41 and a pair of arms 4-2 at the extreme ends thereof. The central bar 41 is rotatably connected to one end of the outer rim 22 by a pair of mounting clips or brackets 43. The arms 42 are connected to the grate 30, as shown at 4 in a loose but secure junction. Hence, reciprocal rotative movement of the link 46 with respect to the rim 22 will be translated into a reciprocal horizontal movement of the grate 30.

One of the arms 42 has an S shaped drive bar 45 welded thereto. A handle 46 is connected to the end of the drive bar 45 and extends generally vertically to the control enclosure 12. The control closure 12 includes a guide aperture 47 through which the handle 46 extends. The handle extends to a height such that it may be grasped by an operator standing erect. Furthermore it is cool to the touch. As thus constructed, reciprocal movement of the handle 46 along its axis will cause rotative movement of the link 49, which in turn will cause a horizontal reciprocal movement of the grate 31) on the grate support lugs 27. Thus, a relatively permanently afiixed handle is conveniently positioned for use by an operator standing in the upright position. A simple reciprocal movement of the handle 46 on its axis will cause a sifting of the ashes which have accumulated on the base plate 21 and grate 30 thereby delivering the sifted ashes to the receptacle 13 for disposal.

One of the outstanding features of this construction is the ease in which a burner may be removed or replaced in the incinerator. The burner cover is a cantilever beam which terminates short of the rear end of the base plate and hence one may reach through the opening 23 and remove the burner through the opening and replace it in a similar manner. There is no need to remove the grate, one need merely shift it slightly so that the burner may be removed. This would not be feasible if the burner cover extends from one end of the rim to the other.

Although the invention has been described in its preferred form with a certain degree of particularity, it is understood that the present disclosure of the preferred form has been made only by way of example and that numerous changes in the details of construction and the combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to 3 without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.

What is claimed is:

1. In an incinerator including a removable burner for burning solid combustibles, an ash shaker comprising, a stationary base plate, said base plate having burner support means supporting said removable burner, a burner cover carried by the base plate and positioned to cover a majority or" said burner, grate support means carried by and extending below said base plate positioned to slidably support a movable grate on a plane parallel to said base plate, a grate slidably supported on said grate support means and movable reciprocally there-on, a link assembly rotatively connected to said base plate, said link assembly including means drivingly connected to said grate for translating rotative movement of said link assembly to longitudinal reciprocal movement in said grate, a handle rod connected to said link assembly and extending to a position external of the incinerator accessible to an opera-tor standing erect, said handle rod being mounted for axial reciprocation to cause rota-tive movement of said link assembly and longitudinal reciprocal movement of said grate.

2. In an incinerator including a removable burner for burning solid combustibles, an ash shaker comprising a relatively stationary base plate disposed above said burner, said base plate including a rim portion and a longitudinally extending burner cover between opposite sides of said rim portion, said rim portion and cover defining a generally U-shaped opening, said burner cover extending from one end of said base plate and terminating short of the opposite end so that a portion of said burner is accessible, grate support means carried by said base plate on each side of said opening, a grate slidably carried by said grate support means, said grate including longitudinally extending arms disposed in said opening, link means rotatably connected to said base plate, said link means including drive means connected to said grate for imparting longitudinal reciprocal movement, and handle means connected to said link means, said handle means being axially reciprocal in a generally vertical direction to cause rotative movement of said link means and longitudinal reciprocal movement of said grate.

3. In the device of claim 2, said handle means being connected to said link means intermediate the connections to said base plate and said grate and extending vertically to a position external of the incinerator accessible to an operator standing upright.

4. In an incinerator for burning solid combnstibles, a grate and ash shaking mechanism comprising a base plate carried by said incinerator, said base plate including a rim having inwardly and downwardly extending inner side wall portions and an integral, longitudinally extending burner cover between said Wall portions, said burner cover terminating short of one end of said base plate to define a substantially U-shaped central opening therethrou-gh, opposed burner support lugs extending below said burner cover from said one end of said base plate at each side of said opening, a pair of spaced grate support lugs extending in the direction of said burner support lugs from said base plate on each side of said opening, a longitudinally slidable grate supported by said grate support lugs, said grate including an arm extending along each side of said burner cover, each of said arms having laterally projecting fingers, a link assembly, said link assembly including rotatable means connected to said base plate and drive means connected to said grate for impart-ing longitudinal reciprocal movement, and an axially reciprocal handle connected to said link assembly for actuating said rotatable means and thereby reciprocating said grate.

5. The structure as claimed in claim 4 wherein said rotatable means of said link assembly comprises a laterally extending center bar, and wherein said drive means comprises arms extending transversely from opposite ends of said bar.

6. The structure as claimed in claim 5 wherein said handle extends generally vertically and is laterally oifset from the axis of said bar.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 40 ,595 Bnzzini June 4, 1389 2,116,322 Muir et al May 3, 1938 2,804,030 Harrier Aug. 27, 1957 2,860,626 Hebert Nov. 18, 1958 

1. IN AN INCINERATOR INCLUDING A REMOVABLE BURNER FOR BURNING SOLID COMBUSTIBLES, AN ASH SHAKER COMPRISING, A STATIONARY BASE PLATE, SAID BASE PLATE HAVING BURNER SUPPORT MEANS SUPPORTING SAID REMOVABLE BURNER, A BURNER COVER CARRIED BY THE BASE PLATE AND POSITIONED TO COVER A MAJORITY OF SAID BURNER, GRATE SUPPORT MEANS CARRIED BY AND EXTENDING BELOW SAID BASE PLATE POSITIONED TO SLIDABLY SUPPORT A MOVABLE GRATE ON A PLANE PARALLEL TO SAID BASE PLATE, A GRATE SLIDABLY SUPPORTED ON SAID GRATE SUPPORT MEANS AND MOVABLE RECIPROCALLY THEREON, A LINK ASSEMBLY ROTATIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID BASE PLATE, SAID LINK ASSEMBLY INCLUDING MEANS DRIVINGLY CONNECTED TO SAID GRATE FOR TRANSLATING ROTATIVE MOVEMENT OF SAID LINK ASSEMBLY TO LONGITUDINAL RECIPROCAL MOVEMENT IN SAID GRATE, A HANDLE ROD CONNECTED TO SAID LINK ASSEMBLY AND EXTENDING TO A POSITION EXTERNAL OF THE INCINERATOR ACCESSIBLE TO AN OPERATOR STANDING ERECT, SAID HANDLE ROD BEING MOUNTED FOR AXIAL RECIPROCATION TO CAUSE ROTATIVE MOVEMENT OF SAID LINK ASSEMBLY AND LONGITUDINAL RECIPROCAL MOVEMENT OF SAID GRATE. 